English
It is also called the "chapter of designation" and the "chapter of questions" of the conceptual designation. It is adorned with four methods of exposition: the chapter of word purification, the root-wheel chapter of word purification, the chapter of pure aggregates, and the root-wheel chapter of pure aggregates. Here, the chapter of word purification is so called because it proceeds by purifying only the words in the manner of "form is the aggregate of form, the aggregate of form is form," and so on. It is twofold, by way of direct and reverse order. In the direct order of that, "form is the aggregate of form, the aggregate of form is form." "Is" and so on, five pairs. In the reverse order too, "Not form, not the form aggregate, not the form aggregate, not form," and so on, five times. Thereafter, in the word-purification order of those same aggregates, having bound four wheels each with a single aggregate as its root, in the manner of "Form is the form aggregate, aggregates are the feeling aggregate," and so on, since the wheels are rooted in word-purification, it is called the word-purification-root wheel order. That too is twofold, by way of direct and reverse order. In its direct order, "Form is the form aggregate, aggregates are the feeling aggregate," and so on, making four each with a single aggregate as its root, twenty pairs. In the reverse order too, "Not form, not the form aggregate, not aggregates, not the feeling aggregate," and so on, twenty indeed. Thereafter, having proceeded solely by way of pure aggregates, in the manner of "Form is an aggregate, aggregates are form," and so on, it is called the pure-aggregate order. That too is twofold, by way of direct and reverse order. In its direct order, "Form is an aggregate, aggregates are form," and so on, five pairs. In the reverse order too, "Not form, not an aggregate, not aggregates, not form," and so on, five indeed. Thereafter, having bound four wheels each with a single aggregate as its root, in the manner of "Form is an aggregate, aggregates are feeling," and so on, of those same pure aggregates, since the wheels are rooted in pure aggregates, it is called the pure-aggregate-root wheel order. That too is twofold, by way of direct and reverse order. In its direct order, "Form is an aggregate, aggregates are feeling," and so on, making four each with a single aggregate as its root, twenty pairs. In the reverse order too, "Not form, not an aggregate, not aggregates, not feeling," and so on, twenty indeed. Thus, in these four order-ways, one hundred pairs, two hundred questions, and having made two meanings each by way of affirmation and doubt in each question, four hundred meanings are to be understood as having been specified here. Thus, one should know the arrangement of this text. Now, this should be understood according to the meaning of the non-expanded terms, with the method of analysis, and the method of concise explanation. "The five aggregates" is the enumeration of the aggregates to be questioned in pairs. "The aggregate of form..." "...the aggregate of consciousness" is the designation of their names by way of distinction. Thereafter, there are four ways of questioning, beginning with the word-purification. Therein, the question, "Is form the aggregate of form?" means, "Is whatever is called 'form' all 'the aggregate of form'?" This is a question to purify the word. And the answer to that is, "Pleasant form, delightful form, is form, but not the aggregate of form. The aggregate of form is both form and the aggregate of form," given by way of designation. Therein, what is said to be "form" in "pleasant form, delightful form," etc., is merely form, not the aggregate of form. But what is said to be "the aggregate of form" can be properly called both "form" and "the aggregate of form." However, in "Is the aggregate of form form?" the answer is "yes," because the aggregate of form must invariably be called form. To the question, "Is feeling the aggregate of feeling?" and to the question, "Is the aggregate of feeling feeling?" the answer is "yes." To the question, "Is perception the aggregate of perception?" the answer is, "The perception of views that comes in 'proliferation of perception,' etc., is perception, but not the aggregate of perception. The aggregate of perception is both perception and the aggregate of perception." And to the question, "Is the aggregate of perception perception?" the answer is "yes." To the question, "Are formations the aggregate of formations?" the answer is, "The aggregate of formations that comes in 'impermanent are formations,' etc., is the aggregate of formations; the remaining conditioned phenomena are formations, but not the aggregate of formations." And to the question, "Is the aggregate of formations formations?" the answer is "yes." To the question, "Is consciousness the aggregate of consciousness?" and to the question, "Is the aggregate of consciousness consciousness?" the answer is "yes." In the reverse order, to the question, "Is not-form not the aggregate of form?" the answer is "yes." That is, phenomena expressible by the word "form" are not the aggregate of form. "Not form, not the form aggregate?" To the question, the things called "dear form, pleasing form," devoid of the form aggregate, are not the form aggregate, but are form. However, things devoid of dear form, pleasing form, and the form aggregate, are neither the form aggregate nor form. "Not feeling, not the feeling aggregate?" To the question, "Not the feeling aggregate, not feeling?" To the question, "Not perception, not the perception aggregate?" To the question, the answer is, "Yes." "Not volitions, not the volition aggregate?" To the question, the answer is, "Yes." "Not the perception aggregate, not perception?" To the question, perception associated with views is not the perception aggregate, but is perception. Setting aside that perception associated with views and the perception aggregate, the remaining things are neither perception nor the perception aggregate. "Not volitions, not the volition aggregate?" To the question, the answer is, "Yes." "Not the volition aggregate, not volitions?" To the question, setting aside the volition aggregate, the remaining conditioned things are not the volition aggregate, but are volitions. However, the unconditioned element is neither volitions nor the volition aggregate. "Not consciousness, not the consciousness aggregate?" To the question, "Not the consciousness aggregate, not consciousness?" To the question, the answer is, "Yes." By this same method, the way of answering should be understood everywhere else hereafter. However, we will speak only of the special points. In the word-purification root wheel, however, this is the special point: "Are the aggregates the feeling aggregate? Whatever aggregates there are, are all those the feeling aggregate?" To that question, the answer is, "The feeling aggregate is both an aggregate and the feeling aggregate. However, the remaining aggregates are not the feeling aggregate." The same method applies to the rest. In the reverse order, however, to the question, "Not aggregates, not the feeling aggregate?" the answer is, "Yes." Here, the things designated as concepts and Nibbāna are not aggregates, and since they are not the feeling aggregate either, the answer is, "Yes." The rest is very easy to understand. The word-purification root wheel. In the Pure Aggregate Section, the question "Is form an aggregate?" and the answer "Yes" are because of the inclusion of the beloved, etc., in the five aggregates. In "Are aggregates form?" etc., whatever aggregates there are, all of them are to be understood as the aggregate of form, etc. Therefore, in its explanation, instead of citing the phrase "Are aggregates form?" etc., it cites the phrase "Are aggregates the aggregate of form?" etc., based on the meaning alone, and the answer is given: "The aggregate of form is an aggregate and also the aggregate of form, the remaining aggregates are aggregates, but not the aggregate of form." And for that very reason, it is called the Pure Aggregate Section. For here, as in the purification of words, the words are not the standard; but as pure aggregates are obtained, so the meaning alone is the standard. The same method applies to the subsequent sections on sense-fields, pairs, matrices, etc. In the reverse order, "What is not form, is it not an aggregate?" The question is, "Whatever phenomena are not form, are they also not aggregates?" The answer to that is, "The aggregates without the aggregate of form are not form, likewise, Nibbāna is neither form nor an aggregate." The rest is easily understood. The Pure Aggregate Section. In the Pure Aggregate Root Cycle Section also, the meaning should be understood in the manner stated below, with "Are aggregates the aggregate of feeling?" etc. This is the method in the Designation Section. However, since in the explanation, after stating the explanation designated as the Designation Section of this matrix, then abandoning this matrix sequence, by another method, two great sections, without any introductory section, called the "Occurrence Section" and the "Comprehension Section," are stated in the form of questions and answers, therefore, the method of those two sections should be shown. Then, in the Occurrence Section, first, the preliminary expression of the mere face preceded by the establishment of the text: For in this, there are three inner sections: the arising section, the cessation section, and the arising-and-cessation section. There, in the arising section, first, there are six temporal divisions based on the three times: present, past, future, past through the present, future through the present, future through the past. Thus... Among these six divisions of time, in this first present moment, there are three variations: from person to space, from space to person,